Louis Clément de Blois de Penthievre
Louis Clément François Benoît de Blois de Penthièvre (2nd March 1733 - Present) is a clergyman for the Grandelumierian Empire. Born to the elite House of Blois de Penthievre, he was initially created the Bishop of Soissons in 1751 and later the Archbishop of Tours in 1763. Essentially ruling over the clerical affairs over his two dioceses with an iron fist countless of people were executed for crimes against God. Known for his extreme piety, Louis Clément wrote extensivly on the status of the church in the Empire but ironically engaged himself in charitable acts within his dioceses including the construction of schools and churches. Biography Birth Louis Clément was born on 2nd March 1733 at Chateau d'Argenteuil and baptized the same day by the famous Cardinal de Mortemart at the Chapel of Argenteuil. He would be the only child born to Louis Benoît de Blois de Penthièvre and Marie Thérèse d'Albret de Luynes. His father a decendant of the Imperial family, the Sovereign Prince of Joinville, and a General in the the Imperial Army during the reign of Marie IV. As a result, Louis Clément’s family held a rather distinguished role at court. Youth and Education Louis Clément was placed under the governorship of a woman named Marie-Augustine, whom the young child called Souris after her small stature and light voice. With his parents both holding a distinguished role in court, Clément would rarely see his parents. From birth, he was known as the Seigneur de Joinville At the age of 6, Clément's breeching ceremony was held and he was sent to study at the Abbe de la Rue. He was taught extensively in Theology, Philosophy, History, Politics, and also several languages including English, Italian, German, Latin, and Spanish. It was there that Clément would begin a deep interest in Theology and Philosophy. Taking communion daily and being an avid leader it was assumed by the Tutors at the Abbey that Louis Clément would have great success in joining the clergy. At the age of 12, Clément was sent to the Sorbonne upon the advise of his tutors. There, he would become more strictly devout by secluding himself in the chapel for hours of continuous prayer. He was known by fellow students not only as extremely pious but a kind person too who would never let his ego rise. 3 years into studying, Clément had to be punished for hitting a fellow student with a stick for "blaspheming against God," but felt his punishment as well deserved and was sorrowful to the student. Clerical Service Upon his leave from Sorbonne, Louis Clément had received a Doctorate in Theology and Canon Law. He would immediately be ordained in the Catholic Church in 1749 and be created the Bishop of Soissons. There, he would order the people living in the diocese of Soissons to strictly follow clerical laws. Any dissent would be harshly punished. Over the next period of 10 years, hundreds would be burned in the name of God for committing blaspheme, adultery, and homosexuality. During service at the Cathedral in Soissons, Clément would be known to give lengthy sermons openly condemning heresy of any kind saying, "Any revision to the word of God should be met by the fires of Earth." Although already small, the protestant population in Soissons would shrink to near zero due to Clément's actions. The cathedral at Soissons would be renovated using funds from Clément's own pocket and the construction of several more churches would take place as well. Schools would also be built by Clément and food banks would be created for the poor in Soisson. Service at Court Prince of Joinville The title of Prince of Joinville would be passed to Louis Clément in 1754 following the death of his father due to an unknown stomach disease. Unmoved by his father's death, Louis Clément would be introduced to court a year later and would have difficulty assimulating in due to the sinful actions that many of the courtiers took part in. He would join the Inquisition two months into court due to his immense disgust in what he saw in the court of Marie IV. Over time, he would begin to surround himself with fellow clerics that he saw as truly pious. In September of 1758, the Bishop was appointed as the Legate of the Crown Cardinal to Rome and set out on a journey to the Papal States alongside his cousin, Monsieur le Prince. The journey took several months and the two arrived in Rome after stopping throw several cities. The Bishop would begin his work as legating between the Holy See and the Crown Cardinal of Grandelumiere. He would make his name somewhat known in Rome for his immense piety and dedication to the church. He would, however, begin to learn of his cousins lustful actions. It was rumored that Monsieur le Prince had an illegitimate church with a local woman. The Bishop would demand that the Prince's actions stopped but Clément's protests would only be ignored. The relationship between the two would reach its nadir. In 1760 the two would commence their journey back to Paris. The pair would stop between several cities in Italy and would arrive in July of the same year and would be reintroduced to court shortly thereafter. After arriving, Clément would start to write extensively on philosophy and theology and the combination between the two. Knowing the works of Aristotle well, Clément began to study the connection between Aristotle's metaphysics and spirituality. He would study how society developed and came up with the concept of what Clément called, "Dialectics," an inquiry into metaphysical contradictions and their solutions. For his dedication to the church, Louis Clément was created the Archbishop of Tours in May of 1763, earning him more of a respectable position at court. Works Throughout the life of Louis Clément, the Bishop would write extensively on theology on philosophy. His intent was for courtiers to, as the Bishop said, "Fear the hell fires." Publications * The Phenomenology of Spirit, ''1765. A book that, as Clément called it, an exposition of the coming to be of knowledge * ''Philosophy of Nature, ''1766 * ''Subjective Spirit, ''1766 * ''Absolute Spirit, 1766 Category:House Blois de Penthievre Category:Grandelumierian Clergy Category:18th Century Births